Five Great Gift ideas for the makeup Lover in your Life

If you're like me and you love expressing your inner creativity with makeup, then this is the post for you. The holidays are the perfect time to receive new palettes and products, mostly since many brands such as Too Faced Cosmetics and QUO Beauty often release entire collections tailored to the holiday season. But if you're like me, and gift-giving is a source of stress and anxiety due to second-guessing, then allow my recommendations to help you choose the perfect present for the makeup lover in your life.

1. For the budding makeup artist in your life, consider any of the LORAC Cosmetics Palettes

LORAC Cosmetics is one of those brands that has been around forever – and they have the quality to prove it. When I purchased their original Pro Palette a few months ago, I was thrilled with the shadows' quality. LORAC pro palettes consist of 16 shades: 8 matte shadows and 8 shimmers. The original Pro Palette was a neutral themed palette yet provided such potential for more outlandish looks with some of the bolder colours, such as the grey-toned blue shade 'slate' and the deep purple shade aptly named 'deep purple'.

I was so happy with this palette that I bought its sequel, the Pro Palette 2. This one was more geared towards pops of colour and the quintessential 'smokey eye' technique, featuring beautiful colours such as 'Navy,' a matte dark blue, and 'Jade,' a shimmery olive green with the slightest touch of grey to really make it pop.

Both palettes are my absolute favourites and are reasonably priced, too! They are the perfect gift for a young girl just starting to experiment with makeup and for someone looking to cut down the content of her makeup bag to just a few well-loved favourites. Get them now at Shoppers Drugmart, or through the official LORAC cosmetics website – just be careful, as the LORAC website is in USD.

2. For inspiration, Making Faces & Face Forward by renowned makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin

Kevyn Aucoin was the best of the best when it came to makeup artists and worked with many celebrities, including Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, and even Cher. One can safely state that he wrote the book on modern makeup application and not be called a liar – when reading his books, published in 1997 (Making Faces) and 2001 (Face Forward), the looks he created are timeless. If you're like me and often struggle to follow makeup tutorials by rich beauty gurus who plug in their affiliate codes with each breath, then I do suggest buying a copy of Kevyn Aucoin's books. Either one will fill you will new ideas, and while some might find his refusal to name specific brands used with each eye look annoying, it will provide you with the freedom to choose the brand yourself – makes saving money a breeze, let me tell you. You can pick up both books at Indigo.ca, or Amazon.ca.

3. For the ‘less is more’ makeup lover in your life, MILK Makeup Here for the Party Gift Set, by Sephora

Veganism is something our world is turning more towards in many different aspects, from food to ethically sourced fabrics for fashion to makeup products without animal products in them. To that, I say, hooray! The more sustainable a product, the easier it will be not only on your skin but also on the environment. MILK Makeup is a brand committed to providing consumers with vegan and cruelty-free products that anyone can use – though not without a bit of a price tag. While I have never used MILK products myself, they have a range of subtle, natural products for a 'less is more' look. On another note, if you're worried about purchasing makeup for someone you might not know well, it does not hurt to purchase vegan make up for them – being inclusive in gift-giving is a must. I specifically picked this gift set because it features 5 miniature MILK products; that way, the recipient can try out a few new products and then decide to buy a full-sized product later on. That's the beauty of trial sizes: you'll know a product was not wasted. Get the set from Sephora here.

4. For the budding beauty guru, Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Eyeshadow Palette Vault

Now, this is the perfect gift for a known makeup lover. Anastasia Beverly Hills, or ABH as it is often abbreviated, is another brand that both makeup junkies and beauty gurus love. I recently bought the much-loved Soft Glam palette from ABH, and the colour story of warm reds, oranges, and golds is perfect for the holidays. However, the palette I'm talking about today is the Sultry Palette by ABH. Now, I love gift sets. If you know someone likes a particular brand, gift sets make getting them a good gift so easy because they often provide more than one component for a lower price. This gift set includes the palette itself, which features a muted colour story with plenty of shimmery glitter shades, which is perfect for the holidays and New Year's, along with a full-sized eyeliner, mascara, and a trial sized eye primer. Get it here at Beauty Bay.

5. For the undecided, try a gift card to Sephora or Beauty Bay

Last but not least, go simple with a gift card. Sephora is the biggest luxury beauty retailer in Canada, though if your recipient is after a brand not found in Canada, Beauty Bay is your friend. Gift cards can be purchased through each brand's website.

Hi! I’m Jules.

Jules is a second-year student at Algonquin college hoping to become a successful ghostwriter someday. She spends most of her time reading books, playing adventure games on her Nintendo switch, and giving her cat plenty of love.